Ocular oximetry, that is, the measurement of the degree of oxygen saturation of blood in tissues of the eye, is a useful non-invasive tool with widespread medical and health monitoring applications. Indeed, measurement of oxygen in biological tissues can provide valuable information on metabolism, responses to stress, the pathophysiology of different illnesses and conditions or the efficacy of administered treatments.
Spectroreflectometric systems can be used to provide oximetric measurements or other information from the fundus of a patient's eye through a spectral analysis of light resulting from the interaction of illumination light with the fundus medium or features in the eye fundus. For optimal use in the field, oximeters or equivalent devices and systems should preferably be efficient, simple to use and easy to manufacture, Low cost and miniaturisation of such equipment are also factors of interest. A challenge in providing such features is in the proper design of the optical arrangement for image and data acquisition and signal redirection for analysis.
There remains a need for an improved device that can be used for ocular oximetry or the analysis of other parameters in a patient's eye that provide at least some of the above-mentioned advantages.